Metta World Peace son Jeron Artest 'very motivated' to play for Gilas

MANILA -- As great as Metta World Peace was at his peak in the pros, he never caught a whiff of an opportunity to play for Team USA.

With his son Jeron Artest expressing apparent interest in suiting up for a national basketball team -- the Philippines' -- Peace said he hopes things work out for his teenage son.

Metta World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, said he wants his son Jeron to
earn his spot on the Philippine national team, if given he's given the
opportunity. Dominic Menor, ABS-CBN News

"When I was in my prime, I kept getting in a lot of trouble when I was playing in the NBA," said Peace, formerly Ron Artest, in a media conference in Taguig City on Sunday.

"I was never invited to play for the USA team, and I was never invited to play in the Olympics. They didn't want a player like myself to be on the team, so that was tough for me.

"Playing for your national team, there is something different about that."

Peace said Jeron, whose mother was born in the Philippines, would love to be a part of Gilas Pilipinas someday, but the one-time NBA champion for the Los Angeles Lakers and one-time all-star with the Chicago Bulls said he doesn't want his son to think he's entitled to anything because of his pedigree.